http://phys.org/technology-news/ en-us Phys.Org provides the latest news on technology, software, computer science, internet, semiconductor, telecom and science technology. People with moderate visual impairment, particularly those who have difficulty perceiving the full extent of their surroundings, could use the ingenious device that these UC3M scientists have created. “This device is aimed at people who would bump into everything that they fail to see because of their loss of visual field, caused by glaucoma, retinal pathologies, etc.”, states the head of the project Professor Ricardo Vergaz, of UC3M’s Electronics Technology Department. http://phys.org/news257449230.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 18:40:41 EST news257449230 (Phys.org) -- Kaspersky Lab has discovered complex malware that has been in operation for at least five years, collecting data from countries including both Israel and Iran. Kaspersky experts think the masterminds are state-sponsored but have come short of short of naming exact origins. The malicious program is detected as Worm.Win32.Flame by Kaspersky Lab’s security products. The UN International Telecommunication Union has worked with Kaspersky Lab in the investigation, which finds that individuals, businesses, academic institutions and government systems have been hit. The total number of targets is an estimated 600. http://phys.org/news257446622.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 17:57:12 EST news257446622 Japan's Renesas Electronics said Monday it will boost the outsourcing of its chip production to Taiwan's TSMC, but it declined comment on reports it would cut about 30 percent of its staff. http://phys.org/news257445094.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 17:50:01 EST news257445094 (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. says it has appointed a local company to distribute its products in Iraq in what it says is a sign of growth for the war-plagued country. http://phys.org/news257445034.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 17:30:46 EST news257445034 (AP) -- Social media sites and blogs have lit up after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a surprise cameo in a Chinese TV documentary about the country's police force: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his now-wife, Priscilla Chan. http://phys.org/news257445010.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 17:30:24 EST news257445010 (AP) -- Struggling BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. said Monday that it is losing another senior executive as its chief legal officer is retiring from the company after 12 years. http://phys.org/news257444980.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 17:29:50 EST news257444980 As the public joined the frenzy around Facebook Inc.'s Wall Street debut, well-connected institutional investors were hearing a more sobering message: The social network's main business, advertising, was sputtering. http://phys.org/news257427166.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 13:00:01 EST news257427166 The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse has been delayed by strong winds during a stop-off on its first planned intercontinental flight, organisers said on Monday. http://phys.org/news257426956.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 12:30:56 EST news257426956 (AP) -- Just as a trench dug in the 1800s created a shortcut to the nation's interior and helped make New York a global trading hub, the city is now hoping for another "Erie Canal moment" with a high-tech research complex to be built on an island in the East River. http://phys.org/news257426918.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 12:28:51 EST news257426918 Fuel efficiency was the most important car-purchase factor for 37 percent of those surveyed in the new Consumer Reports National Research Center car-owner survey. http://phys.org/news257414335.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 11:00:01 EST news257414335 You've got a smartphone and maybe a smart TV, and may have heard that smart refrigerators are in the works. Next up: the smart home. http://phys.org/news257413869.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 10:30:01 EST news257413869 A new motor has been installed in the Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel, replacing a 900RPM, 1,000-horsepower synchronous motor from Allis-Chalmers that was surplused by the U.S. Navy back in World War II. http://phys.org/news257413429.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 09:50:01 EST news257413429 The larger the reaction vessel, the quicker products can be made – or so you might think. Microreactors show just how wrong that assumption is: in fact, they can be used to produce explosive materials – nitroglycerine, for instance – around ten times faster than in conventional vessels, and much more safely as well. At the ACHEMA trade fair, held June 18-22 in Frankfurt, researchers will demonstrate microreactors they use for a very broad range of chemical processes. http://phys.org/news257412797.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 08:33:29 EST news257412797 (Phys.org) -- Ubi Interactive has developed a display system that will convert virtually any surface to a touchscreen display using a conventional projector, a Microsoft Kinect device, and proprietary software running on a Windows based computer. The company, which is currently just three guys, Anup Chathoth, David Hajizadeh and Chao Zhang, is one of eleven startups that have been given $20,000 by Microsoft to develop Kinect based applications. http://phys.org/news257412622.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 08:31:10 EST news257412622 Intel Corporation has recently previewed its first DOCSIS 3.0 cable gateway solution that is capable of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps). The Intel Puma 6 technology solution will help enable service providers to meet consumer demand and offer new services while extending their extensive network investments. A test program by South Korea’s SKbroadband is targeting production deployment of 1Gbps in 2013. http://phys.org/news257406679.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 07:30:01 EST news257406679 Thanks to TV shows such as The Jetsons and Star Trek, many Americans grew up dreaming that homes of the future would be equipped with fantastic high-tech features. From automatic food dispensers to sliding doors, to Rosie the Robot doing the household chores, the imagined homes of the future seemed to be driven by an unlimited supply of energy. http://phys.org/news257408333.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 07:19:01 EST news257408333 (Phys.org) -- Swiss researchers at EPFL have developed a device intended for monitoring and saving the energy consumed by large data centers. It was developed in collaboration with Credit Suisse, which has used it to equip the power of its server racks. http://phys.org/news257407552.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 07:06:00 EST news257407552 Online social networks, a newcomer in Mexican elections, are making a mark on the country's presidential campaign, forcing candidates to respond to issues and protests enabled by the Internet. http://phys.org/news257396042.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 03:54:13 EST news257396042 The horrendous stock market debut for Facebook suggests investors are not ready to jump in and create another tech bubble despite big expectations for social media, analysts say. http://phys.org/news257395948.html Technology Mon, 28 May 2012 03:53:38 EST news257395948 The browser wars are heating up again, but this time the fight is for dominance of the mobile Internet. http://phys.org/news257315398.html Technology Sun, 27 May 2012 05:30:14 EST news257315398 (Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part of small expeditionary groups in austere and remote locations across the world. The company provides small and easy to use surveillance radar, the Spotter M600, for use by these soldiers. The military backpack kit announced this month is called Spotter Radar Backpack Kit (RBK). http://phys.org/news257239234.html Technology Sat, 26 May 2012 08:21:01 EST news257239234 (AP) -- Yahoo is killing a tablet magazine called Livestand just six months its debut on the iPad. http://phys.org/news257185442.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 17:24:05 EST news257185442 Yahoo! shuttered its fledgling digital newsstand for iPads on Friday in what it said was the start of a product purge intended to make the floundering Internet pioneer more nimble. http://phys.org/news257182021.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 16:27:16 EST news257182021 The spate of complaints and investigations over the Facebook stock offering suggests big institutions had an edge over small investors, raising questions about the process. http://phys.org/news257176926.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 15:02:20 EST news257176926 Minority shareholders of Alibaba.com on Friday voted in favour of a proposal by its parent Alibaba Group Holding to take the Hong Kong-listed online trading unit private, the company said. http://phys.org/news257176904.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 15:01:51 EST news257176904 (AP) -- Apple CEO Tim Cook is giving up $75 million in dividends on restricted stock that the company is awarding to all of its employees. http://phys.org/news257165823.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 11:57:23 EST news257165823 Alaska has massive hydro, wind, geothermal and other renewable resources, but the state's rural villages are chained to diesel and suffer oppressive energy costs they say threaten their existence. Lawmakers, energy experts and Native leaders said Thursday it's a dire problem with elusive solutions. http://phys.org/news257159726.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 10:50:01 EST news257159726 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have created a man-made oasis in the desert with the successful application of a solar-powered desalination system that provides water for irrigation in arid regions. The project was made possible with support from American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU). http://phys.org/news257155810.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 09:26:37 EST news257155810 (AP) -- Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group's $2.5 billion bid to take its Hong Kong-listed unit private was cleared Friday by minority shareholders, easing the way for CEO Jack Ma to gain more control over his company's destiny. http://phys.org/news257153540.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 08:32:29 EST news257153540 ... And now they have the data to prove it.  The middle of Lake Michigan is a vast, untapped reservoir of wind energy. The next step will be to find out if it can be harvested economically without harming the environment. http://phys.org/news257152414.html Technology Fri, 25 May 2012 08:13:44 EST news257152414